"A mystic, an atheist and a fundamentalist walk into
a bar... okay, actually a television studio."

- Advertisement -

That's the opening line for Christopher Naughton's pitch
for a program on the new Oprah Winfrey Television Network (OWN).

Winfrey is stepping away from her highly rated, syndicated
daytime show and is developing a network that she saysis "a dream
that I've been carrying around for years." Scheduled to launch in 2011,
the OWN channel will program a portion of its 24/7 schedule with fresh talent
and grassroots turned network programming.

Over 8,000 videos and hundreds of in-person "group
auditions" were submitted for the "OWN your own show" initiative by last weekend's
deadline. While a few entries with the most votes will get a second audition,
the network executives are also looking to invite individuals who offer unique
ideas expressed creatively and passionately for a call-back.

Naughton's proposed talk/feature program is unique among
other entries in both content and format. His vision, as host and producer, is
to offer a holistic worldview of current events and an exploration of the
mystical founding of America. He describes his program as a combination of the
interview style of CNN's Larry King, the spirited give and take of the panel on
HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, and the esoteric, metaphysical, and paranormal
discussions on overnight radio's 'Coast to Coast.'

A former New Jersey prosecutor and trial lawyer, Naughton
created the TV show, The American Law Journal, in order to develop a fuller
discussion about the constitutional rights of Americans. The show airs to the
tri-state Philadelphia metro area on the regional CNN-News affiliate.Naughton kicks off his 20th season this
September with an hour-long, live program.

Ten years ago he hosted and produced a program for
regional PBS onThe American Spiritual Visionthat examined the
fundamental and esoteric groundwork of the nation's founding. It was a concept
ahead of its time, but in the wake of the more recent popularity of books and
movies like Conversations with God and The Secret, Naughton believes that now
this concept would be a "perfect fit for Oprah's new network that follows
in the footsteps of her body, mind, and spirit "Soul Series' about the power of
spirituality and examination of beliefs."

Currently Naughton hosts and produces "New World
Radio" on the Unity.FM network.

In the mid-1980's, Naughton attended Pat Robertson's
Christian Broadcasting University (now Regent University) for his Masters in Broadcasting, in Virginia
Beach. At the same time he was extensively researching the Edgar Cayce readings,
at the Edgar Cayce Foundation, in the same city.

Cayce, who died in 1945, is America's most documented
psychic and medical intuitive. And while the headquarters of both organizations
are in the same city, the two couldn't be further apart. In fact, Robertson has
publicly denounced Cayce as doing the "devil's work.'

This is exactly the kind of diametrically opposed
viewpoints that Naughton wants to explore on his show, as a way to build a "bridge
across a broad spiritual spectrum."He notes, "We may be facing extraordinary challenges, but our
opportunity for global breakthrough has never been better. And why not have fun
doing it?"

He sees Oprah's new network "as a long-awaited venue for
discussions about alternative spirituality and for fostering understanding in a
time of great change," and believes there is an "emerging spirituality that is
destined to sweep across the planet. "

As Abraham Lincoln said, "The best way to destroy an
enemy is to make him a friend." And that is Naughton's pledge and
his passion-- to bring the diverse cultures and beliefs to common ground.

Currently Naughton hosts and produces "New World
Radio" on the Unity.FM network, airing 4pm EST Fridays online and 11am EST
Saturdays, on WTAR-850 in the Virginia Beach/Norfolk market, and streaming on www.wtar.com

Meryl Ann Butler is an artist, author, educator and OpedNews Managing Editor who has been actively engaged in utilizing the arts as stepping-stones toward joy-filled wellbeing since she was a hippie. She began writing for OpEdNews in Feb, 2004. She became a Senior Editor in August 2012 and Managing Editor in January, (more...)